28.5 League Championship: Clutch Cardinal vs Colorado Hoopsters

<strong>Final: Clutch Cardinal 53 - Colorado Hoopsters 17U 43</strong> Clutch Cardinal’s first game at the 28.5 League Championship came against Colorado Hoopsters 17U in a close match-up that tested their abilities as a basketball club.    Colorado Hoopsters started on a 6-0 run as Clutch Cardinal’s first score came on two [player_tooltip player_id="204588" first="Alexa" last="Borter"] free throws followed by a Borter isolation drive.  Mackenzie Naro sank her first three-pointer as Borter found Block for a triple of her own.  [player_tooltip player_id="211119" first="Avery" last="Edwards"] found Block for a triple as Borter found Edwards for a triple.  [player_tooltip player_id="204582" first="Bridget" last="Winthrop"] to Borter followed by a Mackenzie Naro three.  Rice would find [player_tooltip player_id="211119" first="Avery" last="Edwards"] for a short jumper.  Naro inside to Winthrop.  Rice to Naro for a three followed by another Naro triple.  At half-time the score would be 33-21 in favor of Clutch Cardinal as their three-point barrage would put them over Colorado Hoopsters. In the second half, the two clubs would continue to exchange possessions and points as the closest the game would get would be an 8 point deficit at 49-41.  Block would start things off with a floater followed by a Shandy to Rice find.  Shandy would find Winthrop as Borter found Edwards for a three.  Mackenzie Naro would have a nice board and reverse scoop shot without facing the basket.  Winthrop board followed by a Borter isolation bucket.  Two [player_tooltip player_id="158494" first="Molly" last="Block"] floaters would seal the game as Clutch Cardinal would spend the remainder of the game playing clock management as they would go on to win this game in  a decisive 53-43 manner. <strong>Stats:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="204588" first="Alexa" last="Borter"]: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="204582" first="Bridget" last="Winthrop"]: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocks Ava Shandy: 1 rebound, 3 assists [player_tooltip player_id="211119" first="Avery" last="Edwards"]: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal Mackenzie Naro: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158494" first="Molly" last="Block"]: 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal Hannah Rice: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal <strong>Breakdown:</strong> Sinking it From Deep Clutch Cardinal was shooting it exceptionally well as six out their last eight scores in the first half came on three-pointers which put them on top after somewhat struggling early on.  Mackenzie Naro stuck back to back three-pointers as she had three from deep in the first half.  [player_tooltip player_id="158494" first="Molly" last="Block"], the versatile point guard with scoring tendencies, had one of her own as [player_tooltip player_id="211119" first="Avery" last="Edwards"] had one in each half.  These points came in handy in the second half as Clutch Cardinal merely exchanged points and possessions with their counterparts in order to hang on to a victory through discipline and defense as the rest would handle itself. [player_tooltip player_id="204588" first="Alexa" last="Borter"] Borter was one of the x-factors of the game as the versatile forward brings a well-rounded game to the table for Clutch Cardinal as she displayed the ability to get loose on a few isolation baskets.  She is a physical presence in the paint on both ends of the floor and is quick enough to guard alongside the perimeter.  Her 11 point, 6 rebound, 2 assist, 2 steal effort was a prominent stat-line in a game where she affected the contest in numerous ways that were felt by her teammates. Contributions All Across the Board [player_tooltip player_id="204582" first="Bridget" last="Winthrop"] had a superb performance in her spirited 6 point, 5 rebound, 2 block effort where she showed some nimbleness around the rim and fierceness as a rim protector at the basket.  [player_tooltip player_id="211119" first="Avery" last="Edwards"] was another significant contributor as she sank two from deep as mentioned and chipped in a solid 8 point, 5 rebound effort.  Hannah Rice’s 2 point, 2 rebound, 3 assist performance was another all-around effort by a team oriented player whereas Mackenzie Naro and [player_tooltip player_id="158494" first="Molly" last="Block"] combined for 25 points with Naro being the sharpshooter and Block as the elusive guard who got to the rim consistently.